SOUP'S READY~!
Finally the day to serve up my Main course has arrived! I hope I whetted your appetite through the week with some sneak peeks and my mini reveal of the first course..............................These earrings that were made with the leftovers from the ingredients sent by my Swap Partner Melissa Meman.
Part of what she sent were those great white freshwater stick pearls. I've always admired them but never tried them until now. I love how they are drilled through the center and not end to end which gives you a horizontal element instead of the usual vertical one. Those are what I focused on first when my soup ingredients arrived. -------->
The focal is a Porcelain Jasper Pear drop which contains plum and mauve, something I've never worn, nor worked with. Then three rusty red jasper rounds. I have learned that Jasper, no matter what color (and it comes in so many) is a gemstone that helps with emotional stability and helps to ease stress. Perhaps I should have been carrying it around with me while trying to come up with the perfect 'recipe' for these ingredients because these colors sure stressed me out! I have never worked with these colors and put together ( the plum mauve and rusty red) I think I would have used a steel metal or gun metal with them, but Melissa choose Copper.
She made a beautiful clasp and toggle from copper wire and included two small copper bead caps. I could have mixed the wires together but I went with just the copper. Also included were three tiny purplish beads she didn't identify but some kind of stone, and she also made a torch fired enamel filigree bead that had the same deep mauvey plum color as the Focal.
I was determined to work with this combo, but knew it had to have a 'bridge'. I took my soup with me to the Bead show last week and bought all kinds of things I thought I could use with what Melissa sent me. I gathered what I had from the bead show, added from my stash , this and that, fiddled with everything and my original idea for the focal with a bought copper filigree piece and a porcelain pendant fell through.
One by one I eliminated the beads and components I got to go with it and played with the copper chains I'd purchased. I could get nothing to work. 
I didn't just want to do a simple wire wrap with the focal, it needed more. Then I remembered a bead 'cap' I made that was in my Bead Shop and tried it out. It was a bit too big and not the right color green but I quickly saw that's what I wanted. So I made a new one. I had wanted to use the green stone beads I'd gotten at the beads show, they looked like jade and the different shades I liked, so I made my leaf bead cap in a imitation jade from Polymer Clay.
Once this was done, it easily came together, I 
wanted to do a variety of chains and I used four different ones I had. I also wanted a asymmetrical design with the stick pearls on one side and the red/orange jasper on the other.I taught myself lots of new techniques with this one and tried some new designing ways that I will use more in the future. I also threw out the window that the metal I used had to match. I used antiqued and bright and shiny copper in this one.
Here are the ingredients I added to what Melissa sent me:
6 Antiqued copper leaf bead caps to wrap the red Jasper beads
8 round and flat white fresh water pearls
1 Green stone ring wired for a connector
5 Amethyst nuggets
3 Assorted green Jade beads
4 triple ring twist copper spacers
4 copper beads, 2 melon 2 smooth
4 copper crimp covers
2 purple glass leaves
1 Faux Jade Lariat Bead Cap
4 styles of copper chain and links, smooth, twisted and flat
Beadalon Satin copper Wire
I used every single thing Melissa sent me except for one of the tiny purple stone beads. I think I did pretty good using all the components in one piece (the earrings only used the stick pearls but four of them are in the necklace). Tell me how do you think I did? It is long but I wanted it to hang mid chest so the focal swings freely, it has nice natural movement from the three copper chains I have freshwater pearls hanging from.
I'd like to thank Lori Anderson of Pretty Things for hosting another great Bead Swap! And to my partner Melissa Meman for giving me the opportunity to really stretch my design wings with this challenge!And now for the promised GIVEAWAY! I've been holding onto this for just such a special occasion. If you are a regular follower of my blog you know that I hold a monthly giveaway called Mystery Monday where I post a piece of a photo and let you guess what it is. Winner gets a specially made for them custom gift. This is posted every Monday so if you aren't a follower be sure to stop by! But for this giveaway I've been wanting to share a great novel I bought and read recently. It is about what we all love .............BEADING!
It is a mystery novel for those who like that and about a beading retreat. I found it very intriguing and got to sleep very late one night finishing it off! So if you are looking for that perfect novel to take with you on vacation, or anywhere you can't have your beads with you, this is it! It happens to be a giant print for those of you with more mature eyes, and also for younger eyes that have been strained by seed beading all day! :) And that's not all, I have made a special bead for this giveaway, that relates to the novel with my own twist.You will also, in honor of the Bead SOUP swap be receiving a 1/2 cup of mixed beads, findings and components. And a secret surprise!
To participate you need only to leave me a comment on my Bead Swap menu.
To get another entry, become a follower (if you are already please leave a separate comment anyway)
For TWO more entries blog about this giveaway, or Tweet it or put it on Facebook. Please leave a comment for each that you do so my count will be easy!
For another entry, share the love and host your own giveaway, comment with URL by Next Tuesday.
Drawing will be held and winner announced Next Wednesday June 30th.
Now please take time to visit the others participants that are revealing their Swap creations today (my swap partner Melissa will be revealing what she did with the beads I sent her today too!).
48. Nan, Spirit Rattles -I went back to visit Nan's blog and found she is having a great giveaway of a cup of beads. Make sure to visit and comment on her reveal thread.
49. Amy, Copper Diem - Amy just started her blog so she could join in on the party. It's a lovely blog and lovely Bead Soup creation!
50. Malin, Beading by Malin de Koning - Malin made three stunning designs with her soup! Three courses! and more to come!
51. Anne, Gardanne Glass Lampwork - Anne has beautiful Hydrangeas and also made a fabulous two course menu with her stunning beads from Lisa of Lucid Moon
52. Alice, Alice's Beads and Baubles
53. Barbara, Second Surf - Barbara made two main dishes, one cool and one warm, both delicious! She is also having a great GIVEAWAY so make sure to stop by.
54. Amanda, Articulations - Amanda made three stunning colorful and fun pieces that beg to be touched and examined closely! She is also hosting a GIVEAWAY at this post for some great components.
55. Heather, Humble Beads - Heather out did herself with many dishes (4!) with all the artisan clay beads she received.
56. Melissa, Melissa Meman, Art, Life, Love (My Partner) - Melissa met the challenge of a very large dicronic glass leaf pendant I sent her in the soup. She made a fabulous entree with it and it is now served! I love what she did and how we both got to really stretch ourselves in this cook-off! :)
57. Kate, Organic Odysseys - YOU ARE HERE! :) Hope you like what you see, don't forget my GIVEAWAY
58. Patti, PJ Clark Designs - Patti made a beautiful summery necklace and a hot Summer bracelet with her soup! Check it out.
59. Stefanie, Stefanie's Sammelsurium - Stefanie did a wonderful, fun and fresh main dish with her soup and it's just gorgeous!
Thanks for sticking it out to the end! :)
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